Sunday, March 21, 2010

Ed Norton Has a Widow's Peak?

Ed Norton starred in the movie The 25th Hour, which I enjoyed. What I really enjoyed, though, was City of Thieves, the second novel by David Benioff, whose first novel was The 25th Hour. So it seemed like I ought to read the book.The people in the book are so well drawn that I was not even picturing the actors. They're sad and clear and strong and pathetic and exactly who they are. And the stories--the anecdotes--and the plot of the book were well-explored; it's a sad goodbye, which is explored on every level.

But. This is a book for a lover of writing, and of New York. It's the kind of book that contains all the neat little New York stories that a guy has been saving up--the monologues about death and loyalty, the loving descriptions of looking out across the river at Queens in the pre-dawn light, the strange characters you see on the street or meet in a nightclub or on a subway platform.

What that makes it is not my kind of book. I can appreciate the execution, and I can enjoy the characters and the story, such as it is. But the foundation of this book is about texture and observation--and New York--and, as such, is really not meant for me.

Benioff has a book of short stories, too, which has some nice blurbs. I wish I liked short stories more. Brenda, you should read it. (Or hey, somebody else--this is a public blog.) It's called When the Nines Roll Over. Somebody let me know how it is. I absolutely loved City of Thieves.